As they had taken fo little notice of his body, they made Alexander no fcruple of vacating his will, because it contained in it no- bis will. thing beneficial for them. What we call his will, was a short memorandum of things he would have done; thofe were reduced to five points: The firft concerned the building of a fleet of a thousand ftout gallies, to be made ufe of against the Carthaginians, and other nations, who fhould oppofe the reduction of the fea-coafts of Africa and Spain, with all the adjacent iflands, as far as Sicily. The fecond directed a large and regular highway along the fea-coaft of Afric, as far as Ceuta and Tangier. The third ordered the erecting fix temples of extraordinary magnificence, at the expence of fifteen hundred talents each. The fourth appointed forts, arfenals, havens, docks and yards for building fhips to be fettled in proper places throughout his empire. By the fifth he propofed the building in proper fituations feveral new cities in Europe and Afia; thofe in Afia to be inhabited by colonies from Europe; and thofe in Europe to be filled with Afiatics; that by blending their people and their manners, that hereditary antipathy might be eradicated, which had hitherto fubfifted between fuch as dwelt in different continents. Laftly, he had projected the erecting a pyramid, equal in bulk and beauty to the biggeft in Egypt, in honour to his father Philip. All thefe defigns, under pretence of their being exceffively expensive, were referred to a council of Macedonians, to be held no body knew when or where. 1 THE proceedings of the new government, which was in- The gotirely in the hands of Perdiccas and Roxana, grew quickly vernment very cruel, and of confequence generally diftafteful. Before in the Alexander was well dead, Roxana dispatched letters under his bands of feal to Statira and Drypetis, the daughters of Darius, direct. Perdiccas ing them in his name to come to Babylon, where, when they and Roxaarrived, fhe got them into her power, and by the affiftance of na Perdiccas, murdered them, that no fon either of Alexander or perfectly found, and free from corruption, but with fo lively a countenance, that they were afraid to touch it. Some have conceived, that this ftory took rife from flattery, and that thofe who made it their bufinefs to magnify the actions of Alexander, as if they were incompatible with mortality, had a mind to carry their fervile panegyrics fill farther, by reprefenting his very dead body as incorruptible. But as thofe who are beft verfed in Hephaf The daugh ters of Darius put to death. His wife lays vio lent hands on herself. The merce nary Greeks return bome. Pithon Jent a gainst them. Hephation, might give any trouble to her or her fon Alexander. As for Syfigambis, the mother of Darius, as foon as the news of Alexander's death reached her ears, the refolved to take away her own life, which accordingly fhe did, finking under this, though fhe had born up against many other miffortunes. THE mercenary Grecks, who were difpofed up and down the inland provinces of Afia, defpairing now of ever feeing their own countries by fair means, refolved to attempt fomething mutiny and by force. With this view they chofe one Philo to be their refolve to general, and affembled an army of twenty thousand foot, and three thousand horfe, marching directly towards the fea. As foon as Perdiccas received advice of this, he made choice of Pithon to command the forces deftined to march against these rebels, as he called them. Thefe forces confifted of three thoufand foot, and eight hundred horfe, all Macedonians: but Pithon carried with him orders to the governors to furnish him with ten thousand foot, and eight thousand horse, out of the provinces through which he paffed, which accordingly they performed. From the moment he was appointed to this command, Pithon had formed a scheme of fetting up for himself, by offering the rebels any terms, if they would join with him. Perdiccas was aware of this, and therefore he publicly gave him orders to put the rebels without mercy to the fword, and to diftribute all their effects among his foldiers, whereby every man he commanded was made a check upon him. Pithon, when he drew near Philo and his troops, found means to corrupt one Lipadorus, who commanded a body of three thoufand men. This traitor, in the midft of a general engagement, when the victory was doubtful, retired with his troops to the top of a hill, which fo difordered Philo's army, that a general defeat enfued. After this Pithon fent to Lipodorus to come down with his troops and join him, affuring him, that he and his fhould be treated as well as his own foldiers. LipoGreeks darus coming accordingly into his camp, the Grecians were murdere mingled with the Macedonians, and Pithon began to refume by the Ma- his former ideas, when of a fudden the Macedonians, coricedonians. ceiving that their new oath was incompatible with their old oath to Perdiccas, cut the throats of the Greek mercenaries, and feized all they had; after which bloody action, Pithon wholly difappointed, returned with his forces to Perdiccas. Is defeated. Awer in ACCORDING to the chronological order of events, we brate. ought now to speak of the Lamian war in Greece; but inafmuch as we shall in the next chapter treat exprefsly of the affairs of Macedon, we will refer that account thither as to its DIODOR. lib. xviii. Clymp. cxiv. 2. Prolog. Trogi. 1. xiii. proper Chrift 322. proper place, and confine ourselves here to the difputes which Year after happened in Afia, and elsewhere, till the governors of pro- the flood vinces affumed the regal dignity. Lyfimachus, who was in 2026. Thrace, the province affigned him, found himfelf on a fudden Before in danger of being entirely ftript thereof. For Seuthes, defcended of the ancient race of the Odryfian kings, had fet up a claim to the dominions of his ancestors, and had raised an army of twenty thoufand foot, and eight thousand horfe. Lyfimachus had no more than four thousand foot, and two thoufand horfe, yet he was forc'd to come to an engagement, wherein, as he was not defeated, he may be faid to have gained a victory; for he kept the field of battle, and preferved that part of the province which he held As for Perdiccas, he was full of great projects, and very Eumenes industrious in procuring means and inftruments to execute them, put in pofthough as yet he did not think fit to produce them to light. Jeon of First of all he chofe Eumenes for his confident and prime mi- Cappanifter, whose character we have given before. He knew that docia, this man was thoroughly loyal to the kings, and therefore doubted not his friendship to himself, wherein he was by no means deceived; for Eumenes was as careful of his interefts, as if they had been his own; and, notwithstanding Perdiccas was a man of great parts, understood and would have conducted them better than he himself did. In the first place it was held requifite to put this man in poffeffion of his government, which, though ftiled a province, was in truth an unconquer'd kingdom; Alexander, when he first invaded Asia, paffed by Ariarathes king of Cappadocia, and never had time afterwards to reduce him. This prince knowing well that it would one time or other fall to his lot to fight for the kingdom of his ancestors, made use of that repofe, which in the midst of general confufion his territories injoyed, to lay up great fums of money, and to hire mercenary troops for the defence of them. Perdiccas knowing as well how the matter ftood, directed Antigonus and Leonnatus by letters in the names of the kings to march against the Cappadocian prince, and to put Eumenes in poffeffion of his province; As to Antigonus, he was now become too haughty to think of paying any respect to the commands of another. Leonnatus indeed marched with an army, as if he intended to perform what Perdiccas had directed, and therefore Eumenes was fent to join him. This friend of Perdiccas had not been long in the army before Hecatæus, the tyrant of Cardia, his native country, arrived, and began to treat with Leonnatus to come to the affistance of Antipater; to which the latter agreed. Yet he confefled to Eumenes, that his true defign was to marry Cleopatra the fifter of Alexander the Great, and in her right to feize the kingdom. Eumenes thereupon laying hold of his treasure, which confifted of five thoufand talents, quitted the camp in the night with his attendants, and retired to Perdiccas. This was a new proof of his fidelity, and Perdiccas was fo pleased with it, that he determined to march in perfon with an army to execute what Leonnatus ought to have performed, which acAriarathes cordingly he did, carrying the kings with him. Ariarathes king of with an army of thirty thoufand foot, and fifteen thousand Cappado horfe, met him on the frontiers of his dominions, where a cia, taken very obftinate battle was fought, in which the Cappadocian was entirely defeated with the lofs of one thousand men upon the fpot, himself with fix thousand more being taken prisoners. Upon which, to prevent any further disturbance, and to secure Eumenes in the peaceable poffeffion of his province, Perdiccas ordered Ariarathes to be crucified, which was certainly a very arbitrary and cruel act. fied. cruci Lauranda THIS expedition over, Perdiccas determined to reduce and Ifau- Lauranda and Ijaurus, two cities of Pifidia, because they had rus taken, flain Balacrus the fon of Nicanor, whom Alexander had appointed their governor. Lauranda was not very strong, Perdiccas therefore took it by affault, and dealt with the inhabitants very feverely. All who were able to bear arms he put to the fword; for the youths, women and children, he fold them for flaves. He next invested Ifaurus, which being a ftrong and populous place, held out gallantly for a time, till the number of the defendants being greatly reduced, those who remained refolved not to fhare the fame fate with the Laurandians; but having appointed a fufficient number to defend the walls, they fet the city on fire in all quarters, confuming their parents, wives, and children, in their houfes, while themselves repelled the Macedonians, who fought to break in and extinguifh the flames; and when Perdiccas had drawn on his troops, jumped into the fire. The Macedonian army having collected what gold and filver they could find in the afhes, Perdiccas led them into winter quarters, and left the conquered countries under the care of Eumenes *. The pro i PLUT. in vit. Eumen. RIAN. ap. Phot. ubi fupra. Eumen. 2. KAR DIODOR. SICUL. ubi fupra. prefent prefent at the celebration of the nuptials. But Perdiccas had other things in view. Olympias, who had always hated Antipater, had privately follicited him to marry her daughter Cleopatra; he was the widow of Alexander, king of Epirus, at whofe marriage Philip was flain, and fhe now refided at Sardis in Lydia. Eumenes ftrongly perfuaded this match without doubt, because he believed it would prove beneficial to the royal family, and his reafons had fuch weight with Perdiccas, that he was difpatched to Sardis to compliment. Cleopatra, and to carry her presents in the name of her new lover. In the abfence of Eumenes, Alcetas the brother of Perdiccas perfuaded him to marry Nicea, which he accordingly did to footh Antipater and his family, and that he might carry on his own defigns more fafely. Thefe defigns tended all to gratify his ambition; for first he refolved to repudiate the wife he had juft married; next he intended to marry Cleopatra ; this he conceived would give him a pretence for altering the government in Macedon; and as a neceffary measure preparative to thefe, he entered into contrivances for taking off Antigonus. With this view he caufed numberlefs accufations to be fet on foot against the laft-mentioned perfon, who was a man not eafy to be dealt with; for he had a spirit not to be tamed, and an understanding too penetrating ever to be impofed on. He therefore put on an appearance of fubmitting to Perdiccas, and pretended to bufy himself in collecting proofs of his innocence against the day of trial, while he fecretly intended nothing lefs. AN accident happened which compelled him to disclose his purpose fooner than he defigned. Cynane, the daughter of Philip of Macedon by his fecond wife, who by Amyntas the true heir of the Macedonian crown had a child, brought her daughter Ada, who was afterwards called Eurydice, to court, Perdiccas in hopes that Aridaus or Philip might marry her. Againft caufes CyCynane, Perdiccas on fome political motives conceived fuch a nane the grudge, that he caused her to be murdered, which made a daughter great noife, the foldiers retaining not only a great love for A- of Philip lexander her brother, but a high veneration for Philip her fa to be murther; this fo frightened Perdiccas, that to ftill the ftorm he dered. had raised, he promoted the match between king Philip and Eurydice, to prevent which he had taken off her mother. Antigonus liked this fhort method of proceeding fo little, that as foon as he was informed of it, he put himself, his fon Demetrius, and all his domeftics in whom he could confide, on board of fome Athenian veffels, and failed over to Greece, there to take shelter under the protection of Antipater and Craterus, whom he informed of the defigns of Perdiccas; above all, |